Page 25 of Howling Night

“Uh, sure,” I said, my hand shaking as I reached into my bag.

Ryder let Gage out of his door, and Trevor opened the passenger door as I slid over on the seat where Gage had been. Ryder told them where I lived before jumping back into the truck.

“They’ll try to get it running again,” Ryder said softly.

“Thanks,” I said, hugging my purse. “I can pay them.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ryder said, shifting the truck into drive. “Trevor is a mechanic. Owns a place between here and Bresco.”

I couldn’t think of anything to say.

The silence stretched between us as we bounced down the road, passing the spot where I’d been surrounded by wolves. I looked out at the treeline, wondering if I’d be able to spot them watching.

“What happened back there?” he finally asked, his voice quieter than I’d ever heard it. “Before I showed up.”

My heart was still beating so fast I wasn’t sure it would ever slow down. I turned forward, staring at the road illuminated by the headlights.

“Everly?” he said.

“Hm?” My body jerked, and I turned to him with wide eyes.

He stared for a moment. “Are you okay? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” I said, my voice barely audible. “It was… Paul from the bar. Naked. It seemed like he turned from a wolf into a man.”

Ryder’s entire body stiffened. His knuckles went white on the steering wheel.

“You shouldn’t say stuff like that,” he said after a long pause. “People will think you’re crazy.”

A laugh bubbled up from me, high and slightly hysterical. “Maybe I am crazy.”

“Working the bar this late can?—”

“I must have imagined the whole thing… well, not the whole thing. There were wolves there. And Paul, too. Then this other guy, big with black hair, was naked too.” I brought my hand up to my throat, touching where Kellan had touched. “He put his hand around my throat.”

“He touched you?” Ryder asked, his voice filled with growly anger.

I shook my head. “Yeah, but he didn’t hurt me. And I’m still not even sure that was real.”

“Did you have anything to drink at the bar?”

“A diet soda and some water,” I said, biting my lip. “But I didn’t eat anything.”

His face had gone pale, but his expression remained mostly neutral. “The dark woods can play tricks on you.”

He pulled into the driveway and jumped out of the truck. In a flash, he was opening the passenger door to help me down.

“I’ll walk you to the door,” he said, his eyes darting around the yard.

“Thanks.”

I fumbled with my keys, my hands still unsteady. He took them from me and opened the door.

“Thanks.”

“You can stop saying that,” he said, handing me the keys. “Will you be all right?”

“Can you just wait a second?” I said, setting my stuff down on the table beside the door.

---